frustration

I am dealing with a lot of frustration right now and I am trying to work out how to live with frustration, and whether we should live with frustration!? 

My personality is one that leans towards operating under a lot of frustration and wanting more of God and desiring breakthrough, but today I am kind of sick of it! Often frustration is affirmed as a normal quality of a pioneering person but does frustration do anything? I suppose it pushes people on towards the goal in someway.  Is it closely linked with motivation? It does often lead to more prayer and desperation for the Lord. But is frustration a good thing..I'm not sure.

I doubt that there is frustration in heaven and therefore surely this means it is not something we should live under. In heaven there is life, peace, joy and contentment. What is the opposite of frustration? Contentment and satisfaction? Is frustration closely related to impatience? If so, since patience is a fruit of the spirit, frustration surely is not a good thing? The Bible is committed to the view that contentment in all circumstances is how we should live...

But I am sure that Jesus was sometimes frustrated... at Peter when he 'got it' and declared that Jesus was the Christ, but then shortly later Jesus rebuked him as Satan! Or at the disciples when they were unable to cast the demon out of the boy. Or when they missed so many things that Jesus tried to teach them. Or when Jesus went into the temple and market stalls were set up and in anger he trashed the place! This leads to the question is frustration akin to anger in someway? Perhaps in the same way that the Bible teaches that anger in itself is not sin ["in your anger do not sin"] perhaps frustration is in the same vein. Its not sin, but perhaps can lead to the sin of impatience or unthankfulness or just plain being annoyed!

So how do we get breakthrough from a place of frustration...prayer and perseverance [Lk 18], thankfulness and testimony, fasting and just getting more passion and oomph. I am in a season of real perseverance and its not that fun to be honest. But I am believing for the breakthrough. Perhaps is it that God allows us to live under frustration because he is waiting for us to sort some stuff in another direction. Perhaps he is encouraging certain things to be on the back burner while he works in another area. Maybe frustration, because it pushed you into more prayer and desperation before the Lord, it is a tool the Lord can use to get our attention. All I know is I am thirsty for something...for the king and the kingdom. I want more. I am not satisfied with the same level of experience in the miraculous, provision, intimacy in relationship, evangelism...there is so much more.

I am working my way through Mike Bickle's teaching on the Song of Songs at the moment, I think God is getting my attention on some alternative areas that are his priority although not always my priority., Perhaps frustration is when our priorities aren't totally in line with God's. He is more bothered about our hearts, rather than results. Help, I need to get in tune!